I continue to work on getting a playtest-worthy version of The Dragon's Dungeon ready. One of the most important design considerations is the importance of making each character feel unique mechanically without drowning folks in mechanics or making play feel disconnected.

I know that it would have made J.R.R. Tolkien extremely happy to be basically incorporated into Catholic doctrine in a small way.

I'm excited to announce that SPINE was awarded Most Innovative in the 2025 Indie Groundbreakers Awards. Watch my award statement below. Critical to this game's success and innovation are @furtsburrow.bsky.social, @naladraws.com, and Holly Freiberg. Thanks for helping me spread the word!

The Tribes in the Dark #TTRPG is now available on DrivethruRPG! We're so tremendously proud of this, and the book is beautiful. We're continuing to work on the Companion, which is coming together really well. www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...

As I prepare for the kickstarter on #LonelyTimbers I want to take a minute to explain where the game came from originally. I first designed the ashcan version of the game way back in 2017 during the game chef competition about borders.

the prevalence of AI images sucks in innumerable ways. but it's also given us the ability to feel total elation in knowing when you've found an Extremely Raw Picture that isn't AI, but is in fact a genuine picture of a guy in a Xenomorph suit pouring you a tumbler of vodka

Finished yet another playthrough of BG3 so that I could finally give Karlach a happy ending. Good girl.

I like that my feed right now is 100% lawyers going “legal expert here, judges only talk like this when they’re feeling a white-hot rage powerful enough to swallow a medium-size metropolitan area.”

I tried a half-dozen alternatives last year, a week each. Concluded that the Kagi family plan ($3.33/month for 6 people) is the best deal, as a deeply customizable search aggregator. You can search w/ zero ads, no AI answers, sort by lack of trackers (non-commercial first), small sites only etc etc

Here’s an update on Kickstarter’s mature content policy: updates.kickstarter.com/an-apology-r...

Now that the convention is over I can finally get back to my design and publishing work on earnest. Lonely Timbers should appear on Kickstarter in a few months if I play my cards right.

Y'know, fair play. So long as Stripe and the governments regulating it keep problematizing queer content this will keep being a problem but at least Kickstarter realize here they need to be clearer about their intent and the ways they fucked up recently updates.kickstarter.com/an-apology-r...

A "piece that was killed" is something we hear over and over again working with press promoting Dreams on a Pillow, not just now but across the years. In some cases the content had been fully written & was pulled right before or even after publishing. In others, it never was allowed past concept.

I was able to administer 60% of a game of Hegemony and everyone had fun. A hell of a game with tons of components but surprisingly intuitive once you get going.

I was overjoyed to bring Xenolanguage to the table this evening, though we only made in part way through the deck of prompts because we spent so much time chewing the emotional scenery. Thank you so much to the fine folks at Thorny Games!

Found a treasure or two at Cangames this year.

The first day of CanGames has gone remarkably well with impressive attendance numbers for a friday. We expect tomorrow to be absolutely packed and are ready for it. I was happy to run a 7 player game of Once More Into the Void by @temporalhiccup.bsky.social and the group had a (literal) blast.

This is epic.

Four Pillars Gaming published hundred of AI-generated profiles over the past four months and when people asked to be taken down, they doubled down, defended their process, and refused. The ramifications of hallucinatory LLM "histories" threaten to erode truth and destroy the historical record.

Hello adventurer! 👋 I'm Ramona - an illustrator drawing book covers, character sheets, handlettered logos, page decor and more. ✨Particularly love drawing intricate, ornate & vintage inspired things. ✨Especially love working with indie designers & authors. ✨Incredibly hateful towards all things gAI

I just backed this with enthusiasm. It looks great.

Once I get past CanGames work, expect to learn a lot about traditional lumberjack work on here in the lead-up to a kickstarter for Lonely Timbers.

Warning for board game folks: this site has a list of industry people that uses AI slop for images and bios. I’m trying to figure out how to reach out to them to ask to have the entry on me removed. Wanted to spread awareness on the slop. www.4pillargames.com/about/

We are in the final steps of preparing for our local game convention in Ottawa, CanGames, from May 15-17, 2026. If you are local to me and want to learn more, check out our website at www.cangames.ca and consider joining us!

Parents of middle-grade kids; here is a great deal of high-quality fiction they would enjoy from the brilliant @diane.dianeduane.com ebooks.direct/products/you...

*tapping aggressively on this sign* GUYS, ARTISTS WILL ACTUALLY ADORE AND WORSHIP U AND GIVE U AMAZING RESULTS IF U DO THIS WHEN U COMMISSION THEM!! We do not shame u for ur "horrible" skills, it actually gives us a better idea to chat u want and it results in a better execution ✨✨

I suspect that @rdonoghue.bsky.social and @slavetothehat.bsky.social may appreciate this. youtube.com/watch?v=I--x...

There is no greater joy in worldbuilding imo than discovering the emergent properties of the world. On Polvo, the flora and fauna use calcite as the anatomical building material rather than lignin-infused wood. It took me years to realize that means there are tons of buried marble.

Preparing for the Crownbreakers crowdfunder... www.kickstarter.com/projects/sha...

speaking as one who was there for it, it's worth remembering how the mobbing of isabel fall was framed as defending the trans community www.vox.com/the-highligh...

I know the vast majority of you aren't at all local to us, but the whole Valentine family is in some way involved in R&G in State College, PA this weekend and next. Mary Rose directs and stars in it, Clark is a Tragedian, Thad and I are helping off stage. www.tempestproductions.org/currentseaso...

Can we hit 100 backers before my bedtime? Currently 89 and counting.

I am convinced that one of the better analogies for AI/LMM tech is radium. I know that it will eventually be invaluable in specific use cases, but most of the use during the hype phase is just plain harmful. Radium: The Deadly Health Fad of the Early 1900s | HISTORY share.google/nj5bQ5FzJ8KI...

I hired my kiddo to do some game/zine marketing for me. He insists this is a marketing meme format that works.

😂🎉🥳🎊🙌

Alright so, we need to think about the possibility that Breathless may fail to fund. I'd hate this. But it's possible. This was super hard to record and I hope it helps other creators in the space. If you like it, please share the video around because we're living in difficult times.

For folks who want to show @temporalhiccup.bsky.social some love and support; all pdf sales on DTRPG go completely to Rae, only minus the mandatory cut by the platform. www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/4...

We're also working to support designer Rae Nedjadi, who has recently been released from the hospital. If you've enjoyed any of their games (like Apocalypse Keys, Once More into the Void, Our Haunt, etc.) you can support or donate at patreon.com/swordqueenga... or ko-fi.com/matthewarcilla

We're launching a bundled subscription with three other independent outlets, @neverpo.st, @aftermath.site, and @rogue.site, to give you 50% off access to all four websites for 30 days. The Independent Media Collective Bundle is now live: trustfnd.com/collaboratio...

I am very happy to announce that we have released Black Hole Sun; a mission for After the War which is perfect for one-shot convention games. Check it out and spread the word! #IndieRPG #SciFi www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/5...

Infinite Revolution is a high-action sci-fi RPG about hope in the face of entropy, breakneck battles in the void of space, and the brilliant burn of the human spirit, for 2-5 players and a GM. www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Infini...

I threw the book at him and slammed the door on my way out. In a poem I can leave when I should have.

RUSTY SELLSWORD DESIGN X CORTEX Huge news for fans of the Cortex system and more news to come. I’ve been working for a long time to get to this point and I’m thrilled to share the announcement! news.direwolfdigital.com/cortex-prime...

I stumbled across a games show in Kensington, and this game called THE MAGIC OF INVENTORYING (think Marie Kondo in a Dungeon) delighted me. The gameplay is delightful, the art is unique and perfect, and yes, I backed the (incredibly reasonably priced) Kickstarter.

a reminder that scrungaloids cults3d.com/en/tags/scru...

It’s finally happened. After 18 months. Finally, a media merger you can root for.

As a reminder, we proudly published After the War, our SF game of memetic horror co-designed by myself and @alasdairstuart.com www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/2... It's a game about war, trauma, and community. It's not an easy game but we think it is an important one to get out in the world.

The one bright side of my current stressful day job ending is that I will have more time for my game design and publishing. I have a lot of games simmering on the back burners.

@senfoonglim.bsky.social and I interviewed both Catherine Ramen and @jenkatwrites.bsky.social for "RPG Roots" and it was great to see the separate interviews resonate, creating beautiful connections between "Red Carnations on a Black Grave" and "The Price of Coal". Links to both below!

New blog post about one of my favorite historical topics, ✨ SUMPTUARY LAWS ✨ Free members and the public can read the intro, but only Dirtgoblin Community Center members get the full list of sumptuary laws in the world of HOTBLOOD. Join the DGCC to support my work! www.patreon.com/posts/hotblo...